Pine Valley will live to to be played for another few seasons.
A closed council meeting on Monday afternoon produced a narrow 5-4 vote to keep the city-owned golf course instead of selling the land for development.
Mayor Shari Green made the announcement during the open council meeting and added that further details would not be forthcoming, per Community Charter restrictions around land sales.
"So what was said is not something that can be discussed, but I can confirm we had a thorough and robust debate and a pretty comprehensive staff report to guide us in our decision making and the 5-4 vote to keep Pine Valley is what we've ultimately decided and council will support that decision," Green said.
According to the Community Charter, a part of a council meeting or the whole meeting may be closed if it relates to "the acquisition, disposition or expropriation of land or improvements, if the council considers that disclosure could reasonably be expected to harm the interests of the municipality."
The potential sale of the golf course has been a contentious issue since coming up as a potential revenue-generating opportunity through the core services review process.
The KPMG report identified a possible $14 million to $17 million in revenue from the sale and development of the land.
And while supporters can breathe a sigh of relief, they can't get complacent as the issue isn't closed forever.
"I articulated that to some delegates that came before us awhile back to say this could very much be up for discussion again and as conditions change in the market, and as conditions change in the community, and councils change and priorities change there's nothing to preclude a future council from revisiting the issue," Green said.
Other issues and opportunities raised in the core review process that have been sent to administration for exploration should be coming back to council soon, the mayor added.
